What are you teaching in class this fall? What is the real world application? I am a co-principal investigator of the Irvine Valley College Photonics Initiative, teaching photonics classes. We were recently funded by the National Science Foundation to teach photonics courses with hands-on laboratories. Photonics are high-tech devices that interact with light. Almost all consumer electronics have photonics inside. Photonics include light sources, such as lasers, LED illumination systems and cellphone displays; optics, such as lenses, mirrors, prisms and fiber optics; and light detectors, such as cameras for medical devices and security systems or sensors for traffic lights.

What do you see as the biggest single challenge in teaching science and math? Can you recommend a solution? Conveying the science of light is easy – most people are intrigued by lights, lasers and high-resolution displays. Young children naturally experiment in scientific ways, testing their hypotheses and learning from the results. Unfortunately, I meet many students who fear math. I believe those fears can be alleviated by teaching applied, practical math. I find good challenges in creating tangible links between scientific reality and the underlying math.

What would be the most successful outcome of your work? What impact would it have? The IVC Photonics Initiative will be successful when we have happily employed graduates. I believe there will always be rewarding work for technical people with good applied skills, and U.S. technical corporations continue to demonstrate this need. I hope our program motivates and guides students to earn such gratifying careers.

Who or what “sparked your passion for science”? I am fortunate to have supportive parents who are interested in my diverse education. As a youth, I was able to disassemble, study, experiment with and (usually) reassemble all sorts of systems, including computers, tractors and even an old prism spectrometer.

When did you make your career decision? I chose to work in optics and photonics because I enjoyed physics, but most people I knew who had physics degrees were working with light—so I cut to the chase and worked toward optics degrees.

Where did you go to college? What degrees do you have? I attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where, I believe, they had the first accredited Optical Engineering bachelor’s degree in the nation. I earned my master’s in optics at the University of Rochester, and my Ph.D. in optics at the University of Central Florida/CREOL. I studied infrared detectors and devices in graduate school.

Looking back at your years in school, which courses best prepared you for your work today? The hands-on optics labs at Rose-Hulman taught me useful technical skills that have helped me work in diverse situations.

What part of your job gives you the most satisfaction? Explaining how familiar high-tech devices work, and then seeing the “light go on” for the students.

Are you involved in the Arts in any way? Anything to do with light has an artistic quality. My wife is a photographer, and I help with her technically demanding work. I conduct educational outreach at UC Irvine's Beall Center for Art+Technology; the incredible art they showcase usually interacts with light, and I am often asked to explain how it works.

What is the best advice you received that has helped further your career? An eminent scientist told me to slightly shift my career focus about every five years, to diversify my skills and to keep myself entertained at work.

What would you tell a student who may think a STEM career is beyond his or her reach? Most people want two things when they show up for work: To be continually interested and challenged, and to be paid fairly. My experience has shown that a STEM education can provide these things throughout an entire career.

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